Sometimes it's good for us to keep our platforms and parties in check. While I don't feel allegiance to either major party, I do sometimes get attached to certain people in politics. And that can impede my judgment more than I'd like to admit.

Fortunately, organizations like Factcheck.org and Politifact.com exist to help with this very thing.

And if you're wondering, yes, this is a two part series -- the last one was 10 Glaring Lies Democrats Have Told, found here.

 

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    Mark Wilson, Getty Images
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    1

    President Obama began his presidency with a worldwide apology tour.

    Politifact gave this its worst rating of "Pants on Fire."

    The explanation is a bit lengthy, but if we're looking at what an apology actually is-- as scholar and professor Rhoda E. Howard-Hassman who runs an entire website devoted to Political Apologies notes--no such thing was actually made.

    Merriam-Webster defines apology as: "an admission of error or discourtesy accompanied by an expression of regret."

    Cruz's comment may have been riding the coattails of Mitt Romney's book which cites instances of Obama apologizing, however, Politifact (and common sense) notes that these are also quite false.

    For many specific examples, click the link above for the full Politifact review.

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    Bill Pugliano, Getty Images
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    2

    The EITC costs taxpayers $20-30 billion in fraud.

    It's a considerable overstatement.

    Factcheck.org notes that Rand Paul was actually referring to the improper payment error rate which includes fraud, but it also includes taxpayer errors when filing IRS tax forms.

    The errors account for $14.5 billion, less than half of Paul's high end figure.

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    3

    Democrats have no plan to replace the sequester.

    The same day John Boehner said this on Meet the Press on March 3, 2013, you could literally log onto the White House home page and find it under the large button titled "SEE THE PLAN," which takes you to a page with, not surprisingly, the plan.

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    Stewart House, Getty Images
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    4

    I never raised taxes in 14 years.

    Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry asserted that in his 14 years as governor, he never raised taxes.

    Actually, he increased taxes on businesses, cigarettes, fireworks, diesel equipment, and insurance.

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    Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
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    5

    The Southeast is leading a renaissance in American manufacturing.

    At the time this claim was made, the Midwest experienced a 9% increase in manufacturing jobs, double the growth rate of the Southeast.

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    Mark Wilson, Getty Images
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    6

    David Dewhurst has a record of promoting an income tax.

    A March 30, 2006, Associated Press news article quotes Dewhurst as saying, "I think I'd rather see a tax that's based on income — you earn money, you pay something, you don't earn money, you don't pay anything."

    While it's a quote ripe for cherry-picking, a full read of the article shows that Dewhust was actually speaking about revamping the business franchise tax. Context is everything!

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    Mark Wilson, Getty Images
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    7

    Obamacare contains mandatory slush funds.

    Merriam-Webster defines "slush fund" as an unregulated fund often used for illicit purpose.

    The funds John Boehner referred to were specifically defined in the law, which sort of flies in the face of "illicit and unregulated."

    Further explanation is lengthy, but worth a read, at Politifact, which states Boehner's claims are not only false, they're ridiculous.

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    Bill Pugliano, Getty Images
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    8

    You will go to jail for not paying for healthcare.

    In 2013, Rand Paul that under Obamacare you will go to jail if you don't buy health insurance and refuse to pay the tax penalty.

    False.

    In fact, the law specifically states that those who do not pay the penalty shall not be subject to any criminal prosecution.

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    Bill Pugliano, Getty Images
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    9

    Barack Obama sold Chrysler to Italians who are going to build Jeeps in China at the cost of American jobs.

    This statement was made during the 2012 Presidential campaigns, and, well, it was swiftly debunked by Chrysler itself.

    Chrysler HQ said, "Jeep has no intention of shifting production of its Jeep models out of North America to China. A careful and unbiased reading of the Bloomberg take would have saved unnecessary fantasies and extravagant comments."

    Politifact notes that at the time this was said, Chrysler's Toledo plant was running at full capacity, and its Detroit plant is at three shifts. The production of cars in China was actually a point of growth into foreign markets, not to sell Chinese-made Jeeps to Americans, and not outsourcing American jobs to China.

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    Bill Pugliano, Getty Images
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    10

    Many children have developed mental disorders after vaccinations.

    In February, Rand Paul didn't just make the false statement; he repeated this false statement.

    Factcheck points out that while severe reactions have occurred in extremely rare cases, there is no evidence that any currently recommended vaccine causes mental disorders in otherwise healthy children.

    Paul did later retract his comment in a NY Times story, which should count for something.

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